Angel: For some reason, whenever I update, the new chapter isn't there? I don't know why, but I know that it has happened before, so hopefully that gets fixed soon XD
This was a favorite to write since it involves the Sorceress again! I wish there was some way to include her more without her having to either leave or go back to the Land of Shadows, but oh well. Maybe they would've brought her back for season 3 if the show hadn't gotten cancelled.
And yes, I know, the chapter title looks weird, but it was the only way I could fit it in there without having to use initials.
Randy is at the Game Hole, dozens of cans surrounding him. He's playing Manfred Mustermann, wearing a soda hat. "Blam, blam! Pew pew!" He takes a drink, laughing and choking a little. Then the hat falls off as he continues playing, blasting bulls. He then earns 75,000 kills.
"That is no baloney, you have leveled up!" The game announces as Randy wipes the sweat off his forehead. Howard slides up to him, Amy coming up to them with nachos.
"Um, we come with a message from the Food Hole. You're bogartin' the Mustermann, and people are not happy," He moves away to reveal a couple of boys who growl angrily at Randy.
"Howard, I've dropped eight hours. Blam! And two weeks allowance into this game. Bla-blam!" A crowd gathers around the three. "I'm finally about to beat it."
"Well, I got you some nachos in case you get hungry," Amy holds out the box, slapping away Howard's hand.
"Bruce! Thanks Ames!" Randy takes one without looking and eats it. "Click. Click. Click," Then he's suddenly out of ammo. "Oh no, I'm out!" The bull chases him around as he tries to get some ammo. Then another player appears.
"Welcome, Baby Buckaroo. He will to be your huckleberry," Randy gasps, looking to his right side.
"What are you doing?" He demands to Howard, who had put a coin in.
"Saving your butt," Howard replies, cracking his hands.
"My butt doesn't need saving," Randy answers and Howard simply presses a button, getting rid of the last bull.
"Baby Buckaroo is hero of the victory!"
"What the juice?" Randy turns to Howard incredibly as the obese boy is pumping his fists. The crowd cheers as Randy glares at him, hands on his hips.
"Oh no," Amy murmurs at this, pinching her nose. Greg approaches Howard, who is just beaming with pride.
"By the power vested in me, by the Manfred Mustermann Kid Cowboy Committee, I hereby pronounce you, 'Hero for the Day.' Skee-bow!" He plants a badge on Howard and then walks away.
"Wow! A medal," He turns around to his friends proudly, failing to notice Randy's annoyed look. "I did not plan on being a hero today. But when duty calls, you know?" He then laughs at something. "Duty."
"Just one thing, you're not a hero," Randy points a finger at Howard's chest.
Howard pushes his finger away. "Then why do I have this medal?"
"Because you jumped in at the last second and ganked your biffer's cheese, Howard-style," Randy accuses him, turning to Amy. "He did, right?"
"Umm..." She looks between the two, feeling awkward. "W-Well, he...b-but you..."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Howard raises a brow at Randy.
"It's just that—Look, the Ninja and Kunoichi are heroes," Randy jerks a thumb to himself and Amy. "You're...you know..."
"No, I don't know," Howard glares at him, hands on his hips. He looks to the brunette, who bites her lip nervously. She had a bad feeling about this...
"Come on, we all know. You're...you."
"Exactly," Howard chuckles with a grin. "A hero!" He shows off the badge, blowing on it.
"Clearly what we need is some kind of hero expert," Randy glances around to make sure no one is looking. He backs away between two machines. "Fortunately, we happen to have such experts here in my satchel and in her bag," He holds up the Ninja Nomicon that he took out from his bag, holding up Amy's bag.
"Even the Nomicons will agree with me on this one because I'm right," Howard jerks a thumb to himself. He snatches the book, opens it up, and lets Randy get shloomped in. He then throws the book at Randy, who landed on the pile of cans.
"Howard!" Amy narrows her eyes at him. "That was really unnecessary."
He takes her bag, despite her protests, takes out her Nomicon, opens it up, and shloomps her inside too. She lands on the other pile of cans. He tosses her book, and then takes her nachos.
Randy falls first before Amy floats next to him. "Howard..." She grumbles knowingly in annoyance. They look up to see the advice.
"A hero sacrifices all to save the day," They then watch the doodle Ninjas fly off. "Yes, exactly. Thanks a trills, Nomi-Cool. Vloomp ya later."
The three walk out of the Game Hole, Randy looking smug. Amy seems to be indifferent about this matter, since Randy seems mad that Howard ganked his cheese, and Howard insists that he's a hero for what he did.
"Ha! It must kill you that even your own books say that I'm the hero," Howard catches up with them, pointing to his badge.
"Unless you're the Ninja or a teenage girl that's the Kunoichi, I wouldn't really say that you're a hero," Amy points out.
"And that is not what it said," Randy denies to him.
"I sacrificed my last token. Day saved by me," Howard jerks, pointing to himself.
"You didn't save the day," Randy throws up his hands in exasperation. "You saved the second. That medal should say Randy does all the work while Howard jumps in at the last second and ganks his cheese!" He jumps up and down like he's throwing a tantrum.
"And yet, all it says is hero," Howard brags with a big smile. "Medals don't lie, Cunningham."
Randy groans, pulling at his hair. "Guys, come on, this is ridiculous," Amy crosses her arms. "Howard's no more a hero than McFist is an evil shoob."
"Hey!" Howard protests to her.
"Thank you," Randy grins, hands behind his back and then notices something behind her. "Hey, what's this, some kind of line?"
There's a line of students that leads to a building, which seems to be a new place.
"Let's stand in it and find out," Howard laughs as the two tiptoe, Amy shaking her head. Theresa looks over her shoulder, flinching.
"Hey, Randy...Amy," She waves nervously. Amy sighs a bit, closing her eyes. She's only gonna be civil to Theresa since they're at the end of the line, but after they get inside, the two girls are still gonna be awkward around each other. She knew that the Sorceress was behind the Nomicon-snatching, but they didn't really know what to say to each other...it was just weird even having to mention it.
"Oh, were you asking about my hero medal?" Howard pushes past Randy, who glares at him. "I got it for hero-ing. I'm a hero. Hero."
Randy leans in towards Amy. "Not a hero." The line gets shorter and they run inside, seeing a bunch of teens. Everyone's either dancing to music, playing games, or having drinks. The logo over the stairs is 'Club Super Awesome Teen Time Club.'
"How have we never heard of Club Super Awesome Teen Time Club?" Randy asks incredibly.
"It's every one of those words! And one of them twice," Howard smiles as Amy looks around in awe. Randy chuckles as they walk past some students from school.
"I'll bet it's exclusive. Think of all of the people who didn't get in."
Bucky then pops in between the three. "Cunningham, Smith, and Weinerman, check," He marks off a checkmark, knocking Howard's drink out of his hand. "Every single person from school is here."
"Bucky? Why are you taking attendance?" Randy asks in confusion.
"She told me to," He points behind the three. "I didn't mask any questions." A girl with a mask walks past them, giving off a very strong scent. "Mysterious hostess zing!"
"Ugh! I know that smell," Randy comments as Howard's mouth is open.
"Wasn't me!" Howard replies innocently before sagging his shoulders. "Okay, it was me."
"No, not you," Amy sighs at him.
"I'm talking about her," Randy gestures to the girl with long dark blue hair. "Rancid bologna. Old man breath. Don't tell me. Don't tell me..."
"...Wait," Amy gasps, turning to her friends. "I know who she is! That's-"
"Students of Norrisville," A familiar voice speaks up, interrupting the brunette. "I hope you're enjoying the party." They all cheer for her.
"Everybody's cheering, so I'm cheering," Bash pumps his fists.
"Because it will be your last," She rips off her mask, her hair flowing above her. She cackles evilly as purple energy surrounds her body. It's Amanda Levay, otherwise known as-
"Wouldn't you know it?" Bucky asks in fear as all the students have stopped partying in favor of being shocked. "My first party is also my last."
Amanda snaps her fingers, gates appearing to lock the door. She cackles as she turns into the Sorceress.
"The Sorceress," Randy and Amy say in unison.
"Man, they'll let anybody in this club," Howard mutters, shaking his head.
"No, Howard, she lured us all in here!" Amy gestures to the Sorceress.
"You are all my prisoners," She declares to the crowd.
"The Ninja and Kunoichi will come for us!" A student in front of the three friends shouts at her.
"Oh, I believe the Kunoichi and her dearest partner the Ninja are already here. And I've got a score to settle with her. Now to give them a reason to show themselves," She directs purple stank to Morgan, Flute Girl, and Heidi. Once they're hit, they turn into stanked dogs, snarling at the crowd. Everyone screams as they separate, approaching several students.
"My sister's a demon dog!" Howard shouts as the three back away. He gasps sharply. "You know, I'd be lying if I said I hadn't suspected." Amy elbows him in the arm.
"This calls for heroes," Randy smiles, pointing up a finger.
"I'm on it," Howard declares proudly.
"I mean the Ninja and Kunoichi, not you, Baby Buckaroo," Randy taunts, backing away with Amy.
"Have fun dealing with this with your toy guns," Amy giggles as they run past the wide-eyed students. Howard gasps sharply at them. They skid to a stop behind the drink machines, only to be met with an angry Howard.
"Stay outta our way," Randy warns him as Amy takes his hand. "A-Ames! You're holding my hand," He blushes, pointing at their intertwined hands.
"Well, we've gotta stick together, don't we?" She smiles at him in amusement.
"Yes, that is a good point! You can hold my hand for as long as you want," He grins at her, Howard rolling his eyes. "It's Ninja ti-" Before he can reach for his mask in his satchel, Theresa grabs his other hand. "Theresa!" Amy glares at the girl. "You're holding my hand. That's quite a grip you got there."
"Hope you guys don't mind. I'm gonna hang onto this 'cause, you know..." Dog Morgan appears nearby. "Those." Randy screams in alarm and runs off, dragging the both of them with him.
Not only can she not transform, but now Theresa is with them...
"Reveal yourselves, Ninja and Kunoichi," The Sorceress states, "Or everyone will pay for your cowardice."
Both Randy and Amy are cringing nervously, now stuck as themselves since they can't transform! "Hm," Howard rubs his chin, leaning in towards his friends. "Where are those Ninjas? Guess I'll have to handle this!" He points to his badge.
"Do not ha-"
Dog Morgan growls in front of them, causing them to yelp. Randy glances around and then sees the bathroom door.
"We gotta get everybody to the bathroom," Randy whispers to the brunette.
"We need a distraction," She whispers back to him. "We're not gonna get anywhere with the dogs around."
"Got it," He turns to Theresa. "Theresa, I don't suppose you have your twirlin' sticks on you."
She pulls one out from her bag, and he tries to make her let go, but again she has a strong grip. He smiles widely as she glances at him.
"Am I going to get this back?" She wonders as Amy grabs hold of it.
"No," Randy replies quickly as the girl snatches it away. "Hey, demon dogs!" The three turn to the trio as Amy spins the stick around, throwing it. "Fetch!"
It rolls right past their heads, and they don't fall for the trick, snarling at the crowd. "I can't believe you missed!" Howard glares at the brunette, who smirks.
"That's because I didn't."
It hits the console and then tilts over to the sign, knocking it down on top of the demon dogs. "Yes, yes!" Randy cheers for Amy. "Quick, everyone into the-"
"Bathroom," Howard interrupts, holding up the badge as everyone runs inside. "Hi, I'm Howard, I'll be your hero this evening."
Amy grits her teeth, now annoyed herself. First Randy and now her? That badge is going to Howard's head.
"Come on, guys, let's follow Howard," Theresa pulls the two forward just as the demon dogs break free. The demon dogs lift out of the rubble.
"He's ganking my cheese again," Randy narrows her eyes as Amy is at the rear.
"Ran!" She exclaims as the demons are literally right behind her. He yelps and runs forward, going up in front. He drags the two girls with him as the dogs run after them. He slides over to the bathroom door and runs inside with the two. The dogs run right past them and crash into the drink machine. "Door, door, close the door!" She shouts urgently as Randy slams it shut, pressing his back against it. He tries to keep it close as the dogs are attempting to ram it open. Amy presses her free hand against the door, using her shoulder against it to try and help out.
The Sorceress cackles as she watches. Bash steps forward and slams the toilet in front of the door.
"Say hello to our newest hero," Bucky gestures to Howard as he's being lifted up into the air. "Ninja and Kunoichi no-show zing!"
Howard suddenly falls onto the floor, rubbing his head. He lifts his arm in disgust to see gum sticking to it. Randy and Amy bend down in front of him.
"Stop ganking my cheese!"
"I don't even wanna be involved in this and yet you're ganking mine too!" Amy grips his shirt. Howard smacks her hand away.
"Stop making it so easy to gank your cheeses," He jerks two thumbs to their chests. Amy retaliates back and then Randy uses his foot to strike back. Howard then gets into a small little fight with the two before a thud is heard. They look towards the door, where the dogs are still trying to ram inside. They manage to knock the toilet away, causing everyone to cringe.
"What do we do now?" Theresa glances at the other two.
"Yeah, hero, what do we do now?" Randy retorts back to Howard, who crosses his arms with a glare. Something shimmers and they turn around to see the exit behind all the students.
"Through there!" Howard weaves through the crowd to reach it, the three running behind him.
"We don't know where it goes!"
"Considering this was all a trap, it could lead to something more dangerous!" Amy narrows her eyes. "You really wanna risk people's lives trying to figure that out?"
"As any real hero can tell, it goes that way," He opens up the door to reveal a secret passage. He ushers everyone inside. Amy looks to Randy and smiles at him, relieved that it doesn't look to be that dangerous. He smiles back at her, but the moment is ruined once another hand grabs her free one. She looks up at the shaking Bucky in shock.
"I'm terrified of dogs and mystery doors. Not a good night for me."
Both Amy and Randy look annoyed before they run off together with their two classmates. They run through the open passage just as the dogs burst in and follow after them.
"Yes, my pets, drive them deeper..." The Sorceress appears in the bathroom after the dogs have left. "To their doom." She cackles evilly, purple stank around her...
"Relax, everybody," Howard states to the group as he's leading them. They seem to be in an underground cave area. "You're in good hands. Mine," He looks at his hand. "Though they may be delicate, they will lead you to safety."
"You have to distract Theresa and Bucky so we can-"
"So you can what, guys?" Howard interrupts, annoyed as he leans in. "Finally show up and gank my cheese? Oh ho ho, you'd like that, wouldn't you?"
"YES!" Randy shouts at him. "I would love that. So would everyone else. You have no idea where you're leading us."
"Keep in mind that you can't stop the Sorceress when she finds us," Amy shakes her head slowly at Howard. "Or those demon dogs. I was the one who threw the twirling stick at the right angle so that they'd get distracted."
"Admit it," Howard whispers to them. "You guys have no faith in me." He turns around to look them in the eye.
"We have no faith in you," They state in unison.
"Well, I do!" Bucky snatches his hand away from Amy's, taking Howard's. "I'll follow you anywhere, O hero, my hero."
"Wow, those are some sweaty mitts you got there," Howard holds up their hands. Amy looks at her hand, sticking her tongue out in disgust at the sweat on it. Randy suddenly gets an idea, looking over to Theresa.
"Theresa, I think you'd be safer with Howard," Randy smiles nervously at his friend. Amy glances up at him and catches onto what he's doing. "He's the...ugh," He lets go of the hand holding Amy's to facepalm. "Real hero."
Amy gags slightly to herself. "Yeah...so lucky we have him around..." She rolls her eyes silently as Howard pops up between them.
"Ha ha, I heard that!" He brags, to the irritation of the both of them. "Everybody hear that?" His voice echoes throughout the cave.
"Really?" Theresa asks skeptically, looking between the two.
"We're afraid so. But we'll be right behind you," He pushes her ahead.
"If I'm admitting he's a hero, then you know that this is the right thing to do," Amy states, holding up a finger.
"Hey!" Howard exclaims at her. He grabs Theresa's hand and they whistle, quickly getting out of there. "Stick close, people. This hero train don't stop till we reach Safety Town," He pulls the two classmates forward.
"Finally, it's Nin-"
"Move it," Bash pushes Randy onto the ground. "I'm following that guy."
"Shoob," Amy mutters as she glares at him, watching the other students leave. She bends down to Randy in concern. "Are you okay, Ran?"
"Yeah...Ninja time," He holds up his mask and Amy shakes her head.
"Too soon. Come on," She helps him up, hiding behind a rock. They wait until the students are gone to transform, red and pink flashing from the rock.
"Flute Dog, Weiner Dog, Morgan Dog, let's see what you got," Ninja glances around for them to appear. He punches his hands together, ready for the challenge. Kunoichi looks up ahead and sees the yellow eyes in the shadows.
"Umm..." She points up ahead and then Morgan Dog tackles the both of them to the ground.
"A little warning would have been nice," Ninja glances at his partner.
"Sorry," She smiles sheepishly behind the mask. Ninja kicks her off them, Heidi Dog and Flute Girl Dog rushing forward. They get onto their feet and leap forward at the same time.
"Ninja flip!" He flips on Heidi Dog as Kunoichi flips on Flute Girl Dog, the two sliding onto the ground. They reach the stalactites and head towards Heidi Dog, who gets back onto her feet. She gets punched by Ninja and Kunoichi kicks Flute Girl Dog. They land side-by-side and Ninja stands up, wiping the dust off his hands. They suddenly get tackled again by Flute Girl Dog.
Howard is still holding Theresa and Bucky's hands, looking between two paths. "Are you sure you know where you're going?" Theresa questions cautiously since he doesn't know where to go.
"You wouldn't ask the Ninja or the Kunoichi if they knew where they were going," Howard retorts to the girl.
"They usually know where they're going," Theresa murmurs to herself, Howard letting go of their hands. He turns to the class.
"Listen up, people. I'm your hero, which means you do what I say. And I say we're going this way," He points to the left, and when they approach it, they see a pit.
"That's a bottomless pit," Bucky points down at it.
"And we're going the other way," Howard turns right back in the other direction, causing them to groan.
Ninja and Kunoichi stumble down a pathway thanks to Flute Girl Dog, landing in a heap. "You know, this needs to stop happening whenever we get thrown," She couldn't help but comment. He looks up from the ground to see a waterfall.
"What the juice?" He murmurs to her in confusion.
"What is this place?" She wonders as she sees it, a roar from the distance getting their attention. The dogs have managed to catch up with them, and Heidi Dog lunges forward. They manage to jump away just in time.
"Twirl attack!" Ninja looks at his partner.
"Oh, again?" She looks away in slight disdain.
"That's because you have longer hair and just grab my hands!"
Kunoichi sighs in defeat and grabs his hands. "Ninja Twirl Attack, you bad dog!" Ninja spins around and her feet kick Heidi Dog back.
"Sorry Heidi! You're still my friend," Kunoichi cringes at this as he tosses her up into the air, catching her in his arms. She jumps out of them as the other two dogs run up to them. They glance behind them to see the stalactites.
"Ninja stalactite snag!" He grabs one with his scarf and Kunoichi lets out her hair. She spins it around and grabs a stalactite with her white long hair. They spin around the demon dogs and then snag another stalactite, kicking Heidi Dog again. "Zone!" Then the stalactite he's hanging onto breaks off. "Uh oh."
He lands in front of the lake, his body hitting the wall. Then the rock hits his hand, stopping in front of him. "Ow! Ah..." He looks up to see the dogs rushing up to him. White hair flies around them and snatches the trio. He follows the hair to see Kunoichi trying to hold them back.
"Take...the stalactite! Hurry!" She calls out as she slides back a bit since they're so strong. He does so and nods for her to let go. She does and he hits Flute Girl Dog with it. The other demon dogs growl at him and they approach. Kunoichi flips and lands next to Ninja, who taps the make-shift bat against the ground.
"Who's next?" He asks as he lifts it up.
"I am!"
Their eyes widen at the voice, turning around to see the Sorceress appear from the waterfall. "Welcome to my lair. Hope you like what I've done with the place."
"Eh, little cave-y for my taste," Ninja states, waving a hand.
"This is your lair?!" Kunoichi slightly drops her hair in shock. "And I have to agree, this place is so musty and not to mention, I wear purple, you ripped off my color." She glances around at the purple lighting from the entrances.
The Sorceress shrieks at the insults, firing purple stank. Her magic is so bright that the two have to cover their eyes. The stank spreads out throughout the waterfall and the lake. Some hits the dogs, causing them to run off out of fear. A ball of stank heads right for Kunoichi and Ninja leaps forward, pushing her out of the way. They both land in front of a stalagmite, her hair over her head. Ninja glances behind them as a portal opens up from the water and Kunoichi parts her hair away. He gasps and hugs her close to deflect her from the white blast that comes afterwards. They glance to each other and finally peek above the rock to take a look.
"Hachi-machi! What the juice is that?"
"I-I don't know!" She stammers to him.
"A portal to the Land of Shadows," The Sorceress reveals to the both of them nearby.
"The Land of Shadows?" They murmur in unison as she's cackling.
"I languished there for 800 years. Now it's your turn to suffer. Starting with the Kunoichi, who played a part in stopping my plan! You shall perish this day!" She starts firing at them and Ninja jumps away from the blasts. Kunoichi scoops up her hair and hops around. She blasts a rock into pieces as the two hide behind another one, panting heavily. "Darkness will be your prison, while I rule the world with the Sorcerer!"
She spins around stank in her hands to fire a huge blast at a rock that she thought they were hiding behind, but they're not standing there. "What?"
"Oh, yes, we did!" They reveal themselves out of hiding from the ceiling. "Ninja Sorceress Surprise!" They kick her to the ground, landing behind her. The two turn around as the Sorceress gets back up, swiping at their heads. They duck and spin around, kicking her away. When they go to kick her again, she grabs their legs, throwing them against a wall. Ninja tumbles and lands first while Kunoichi just falls straight down.
"Kuno!" Ninja looks up at her in concern. The Sorceress towers over them, laughing. She grabs them and pins them against the wall.
"I will savor your destruction, the Kunoichi's most of all!" She then throws them into another rock. "Then I will turn my wrath on those you two have sworn to protect."
"Not gonna happen," Ninja waves a finger. "They're long gone by now."
"This is it," Howard leads them right to their location. "Right through this tunnel is...aw, more cave?" Everyone gasps as they see the situation.
Ninja facepalms himself as Kunoichi groans in disbelief. "You had one job, Howard!"
"I'll destroy them first and make you watch," She points her stankified hand at the group, and they gasp in horror.
"A hero sacrifices all," Ninja whispers and they realize what they have to do. They look between the shocked students, the Sorceress, and then the portal. They look towards each other, since it's a big thing to do...but they don't want the people they protect to be hurt. "Are you sure you're okay with doing this? Maybe it should be just me."
"No, I'm sure," She shakes her head. "We're in this together, Ninja. And if we don't make it, well...I'm really glad we were partners."
"Me too," He smiles softly at her behind the mask. They both snatch her arms and take hold of the Sorceress, jumping backwards into the portal together. Then they all fall in, to the horror of everyone.
"NOOOOOOOO!"
Then the portal swirls around, the three falling backwards past all the creates. The two let go of the Sorceress, and she's immediately snatched by snake creatures back where she belongs. They swim upwards to get out, but a snake creature grabs the back of Kunoichi's hair, pulling her backwards.
"Ah!"
"Hey!" Ninja hollers, swimming back towards her. He kicks them off and wraps an arm around her waist. "You okay?"
"I'm fine!" Together they swim back towards the top, only to be snatched again. They start to get dragged inside when Howard dives in, grabbing his scarf and her hair all by himself. He pulls with all of his might and gets both of them out of there. The two fall at his sides, the obese boy panting.
"You saved us," Ninja turns to their friend.
"Don't ever do that again!" Howard glares, crossing his arms.
"Heh, trust me, we weren't that into it either."
"Well, yes and no," Kunoichi speaks up. "We only did it to save you guys!" The portal then disappears, turning back into a lake. Morgan, Flute Girl, and Heidi walk back up to the group, turned back into their normal selves.
"Ninja! Kunoichi! Ninja! Kunoichi! Ninja! Kunoichi!" The crowd cheers as Howard helps the two up.
"The Ninja and Kunoichi saved us," Theresa smiles at them.
"And Howard saved the Ninja and Kunoichi," Bucky gestures to him.
"Howard! Howard!"
"We were wrong," Ninja places an arm on Howard's shoulder. "You're a total hero."
"Yeah, you really had our backs this time," Kunoichi couldn't help but admit to him.
"The important thing is you admitted you're wrong," Howard grins, pointing at them both. She rolls her eyes, almost taking that compliment back as she moves away his finger.
"Of course, we're heroes, too. I mean, we did banish the Sorceress back to the Land of Shadows," Ninja gestures to the sparkling water.
"Which was no easy task that you weren't noticeably involved in," Kunoichi places her hands on her hips as she looks to Howard.
"Bummer they don't make medals for that," Howard gestures to himself, and that's when he finally notices that his badge is gone. "Oh! I lost my medal in the Land of Shadows," He swipes at the water in dismay.
"I'm gonna follow the Ninja and Kunoichi home," Bash slaps his hand against their backs.
"No, Bash," Ninja holds up Howard's hand. "This hero will show you the way."
"What about Randy?" Theresa asks in concern and Kunoichi grunts, noticing how Theresa didn't ask about her normal self...
"Oh, I'm sure we'll find him and Smith crying in some tunnel on the way out," Howard chuckles boastfully, getting hit in the back of the head by Kunoichi's hair. "Ow! I-I mean, strategically hiding from that crazy monster. And they should be this way!" He's about to go to the left.
"Other way," Ninja and Kunoichi inform him in unison.
"Other way!" He guides the class to the right, everyone groaning. Ninja laughs at him, turning to Kunoichi.
"Thanks for sticking by my side, Kuno," He wraps an arm around her and she smiles.
"Of course. I'm always gonna have your back, Ninj. We're partners...so long as I know that you don't like Theresa."
"Are you jealous of her?" He chuckles at her, hands on his hips.
"Whaaat? No," Kunoichi scoffs, waving it off. "Why would I be jealous of her? I mean, she is the same person who was controlled by the Sorceress to try to stop us from being friends...t-there's nothing more to it than that."
"Is that so?" He leans in towards her and she blushes behind her mask, glancing around. "Cause you seem jealous."
"Nooo..."
"You're hiding something," He points at her with a giant grin.
"No I'm not," She crosses her arms.
"Hmm," He smirks at her, she's clearly jealous of Theresa. He can tell by the stuttering and denial. And he's loving the fact that this possibly means she likes him the way he likes her. "I wouldn't worry, anyway. I don't like Theresa. Let's just say I like someone else." He leans in, lifts up his mask, and kisses her cheek, her eyes going wide.
"Ahh...smoke bomb," He disappears, leaving Kunoichi alone.
"What just happened...?" She murmurs happily, touching her cheek.
